"Great, this is great." Sokov couldn't help but cheered when he learned that Lieutenant Colonel Dobrushin's troops successfully occupied the bus station and seized more than fifty complete buses and trams. : "I am worried about how to send troops and weapons into the city quickly. If we have these captured vehicles, we can solve a big problem."
"That's right, Comrade Commander." Sameko also happily agreed: "Although the hovercraft is good, it cannot enter the city. The anti-tank obstacles and various barricade fortifications on the streets, as well as the ruins of collapsed buildings, will hinder its progress. Now with so many buses, we can transport the troops and supplies outside the city in batches to the areas occupied by our army in the city, and at the same time transport the wounded back on the front line so that they can receive timely treatment. treatment."
"I think trams cannot be used under today's circumstances. Only buses can be used." Sokov told Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, use buses to transport soldiers, supplies and wounded people." You must designate a few reliable comrades to take charge of the matter."
"Don't worry, I will let the director of the logistics department be responsible for this matter." Sameko replied: "I believe they will be able to complete this matter."
With the help of buses, the troops moved forward much faster. At the beginning, due to insufficient strength, the commanders and fighters of the two Marine Corps brigades needed to divide their forces to search for the enemies in the buildings on both sides of the street after breaking through the enemy's barricade defense line, which was inevitably slowed down.
However, as more than 30 public vehicles continued to transport troops from outside the city, the task of searching for the remaining enemy forces fell to friendly forces. The two Marine Corps brigades could advance in depth towards the enemy without hesitation.
Chuvashov's order to the troops was particularly concise and clear: "The attack must be fast, fierce, and ruthless! When encountering the enemy's defensive position, whether it is barricades or building defenses, use rocket launchers to crush all those who dare to resist. enemy!"
With Chuvashov's order, the attack speed of the two marine brigades merged into one place greatly accelerated. By three o'clock in the afternoon, the vanguard was less than 800 meters away from the municipal building where the German headquarters was located.
The troops at the forefront were the battalion commanded by Shamrich. When he saw the clearly visible buildings in the distance, he immediately reported the good news to Chuvashov and asked for instructions: "Comrade Colonel, the enemy The headquarters is only about 800 meters away from us, can we use new rockets to attack?"
"No, Comrade Major, we must not do it." Although Chuvashov knew very well that as long as dozens of new rockets hit him, the enemy's headquarters, no matter how strong it was, would be turned into a sea of fire, and many German troops might be burned to death. important figures. However, he considered that only placing the red flag on top of the municipal building would represent the occupation of the city. If a new rocket bomb is used recklessly and the building is blown up, where should the red flag be placed? Therefore, he ordered Shamrih: "You should continue to advance towards the German command post according to the original plan. As for whether rockets can be used, I will wait until I ask the commander for instructions."
When Chuvashov said that he wanted to ask Sokov for instructions, Shamrich, as an old subordinate of Sokov, naturally would not disobey the order and quickly replied: "Understood, comrade colonel, I will continue to command the troops and fight against the enemy's attack." Attack the location of the headquarters and wait for your next order."
When Sokov received a call from Chuvashov, he couldn't help but sigh that the other party was making good progress. He originally thought that he would not be able to approach the German command headquarters until noon tomorrow at the earliest. Unexpectedly, Chuvashov's troops made such rapid progress, completing the combat goals he set for a long time more than 20 hours ahead of schedule.
"Comrade Colonel, good job. Your advance is very fast. I believe that after the battle to liberate Belgorod is over, your brigade will definitely receive the honorary title." Sokov asked: "Your red flag is ready. Yet?"
"Red flag?" Chuvashov was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Comrade Commander, didn't you order people to equip all combat units above the battalion level with red flags? Don't worry, we will put them up after occupying the municipal building. Put the red flag on top of the building immediately."
"Comrade Colonel, listen, it is a tradition of the Russian army to plant a red flag on the municipal building of an ancient city to indicate the occupation of the city." Seeing that Chuvashov did not understand what he meant, Sokov said Explained to him: "Since it is a tradition, we must pay attention to it. I think that after you occupy the building, you just put up an ordinary red flag, which does not make much sense. It is better to put up your brigade's military flag to show that you are the most important person." Take this city first.”
"Comrade Commander, is this appropriate?" Hearing what Sokov said, Chuvashov said hesitantly: "You know, if something goes wrong with the military flag, you will be punished."
Sokov knew very well what Chuvashov meant. Once a unit with a military flag loses its military flag, its superiors will cancel the organization without hesitation, and commanders at all levels will also be sent to military courts. Even if the military flag is not lost but is damaged, the top commander of the army will be punished. On a battlefield under heavy artillery fire, military flags placed on top of municipal buildings may be knocked down by enemy artillery fire. In this way, the troops occupying the building will not only receive no commendation, but will also be criticized or even punished for damaging the military flag.
After guessing Chuvashov's thoughts, Sokov comforted him and said: "Comrade Colonel, don't worry, just follow my orders. As long as the building is occupied, you can put the flag of your brigade on the roof. Regardless of the future Whatever happens, I will take responsibility for you.
Put the military flag on the top of the municipal building and announce to everyone that your brigade was the first to occupy Belgorod. This is a military achievement that will be recorded in history in the future. Sokov said earnestly: "If you missed the opportunity to build great merits because you were worried that you might be sent to a military court for damaging the military flag, wouldn't you regret it in the future?" "
Sokov's words accelerated Chuvashov's adrenaline secretion. He slapped the table hard and said loudly: "Comrade Commander, you are right. Since it was the municipal building that our brigade occupied first, Naturally, we have to put up our military flag and announce to everyone that the troops occupying the enemy's headquarters are our 84th Marine Brigade."
Chuvashov ended the call with Sokov, immediately walked to the radio, asked the radio operator to connect to the first battalion at the front, and said into the radio: "Major Shamrih, this is Chuvashov. . I now give you a special order. Once your troops rush into the municipal building, you must send soldiers to plant the military flag on the top of the building."
"Comrade Colonel," Shamrich said loudly after waiting for Chuvashov to finish speaking: "But I only have ordinary red flags here, not military flags."
"You don't have to worry about the military flag." Chuvashov said to him: "I will send someone to deliver it to you immediately. Be sure to send someone to plant the flag on the roof of the municipal building when we occupy it."
"clear."
"By the way, Comrade Major. I would also like to remind you that you must tell the soldiers who plant the flag on the roof of the building to care for our military flag as much as they care for their own eyes. There must be no mistakes."
"Understood, Comrade Colonel." Shamrih assured Chuvashov: "I will definitely send the most experienced soldiers to complete this task, and I will never let you down."
Shamrih commanded the troops of the first battalion to continue to advance and encountered German fire interceptions at the crossroads ahead. The Germans may not have expected that the Soviet army would advance so fast, so their defense in this direction was not very tight. The hastily built barricade was still a half-finished project without even a single sandbag stacked up. The German officers and soldiers set up two MG42 machine guns on the incomplete barricade, trying to block the advance of the first battalion with intensive firepower.
"Great, this is great." Sokov couldn't help but cheered when he learned that Lieutenant Colonel Dobrushin's troops successfully occupied the bus station and seized more than fifty complete buses and trams. : "I am worried about how to send troops and weapons into the city quickly. If we have these captured vehicles, we can solve a big problem."
"That's right, Comrade Commander." Sameko also happily agreed: "Although the hovercraft is good, it cannot enter the city. The anti-tank obstacles and various barricade fortifications on the streets, as well as the ruins of collapsed buildings, will hinder its progress. Now with so many buses, we can transport the troops and supplies outside the city in batches to the areas occupied by our army in the city, and at the same time transport the wounded back on the front line so that they can receive timely treatment. treatment."
"I think trams cannot be used under today's circumstances. Only buses can be used." Sokov told Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, use buses to transport soldiers, supplies and wounded people." You must designate a few reliable comrades to take charge of the matter."
"Don't worry, I will let the director of the logistics department be responsible for this matter." Sameko replied: "I believe they will be able to complete this matter."
With the help of buses, the troops moved forward much faster. At the beginning, due to insufficient strength, the commanders and fighters of the two Marine Corps brigades needed to divide their forces to search for the enemies in the buildings on both sides of the street after breaking through the enemy's barricade defense line, which was inevitably slowed down.
However, as more than 30 public vehicles continued to transport troops from outside the city, the task of searching for the remnants of the enemy fell to the friendly forces, and the two Marine Brigades could advance deeply into the enemy without hesitation.
Chuvashov's order to the troops was particularly concise and clear: "The attack must be fast, fierce, and ruthless! When encountering the enemy's defensive position, whether it is barricades or building defenses, use rocket launchers to crush all those who dare to resist. enemy!"
With Chuvashov's order, the attack speed of the two marine brigades merged into one place greatly accelerated. By three o'clock in the afternoon, the vanguard was less than 800 meters away from the municipal building where the German headquarters was located.
The troops at the forefront were the battalion commanded by Shamrich. When he saw the clearly visible buildings in the distance, he immediately reported the good news to Chuvashov and asked for instructions: "Comrade Colonel, the enemy The headquarters is only about 800 meters away from us, can we use new rockets to attack?"
"No, Comrade Major, we must not do it." Although Chuvashov knew very well that as long as dozens of new rockets hit it, the enemy's headquarters, no matter how strong it was, would be turned into a sea of fire, and many German troops might be burned to death. important figures. However, he considered that only placing the red flag on top of the municipal building would represent the occupation of the city. If a new rocket bomb is used recklessly and the building is blown up, where should the red flag be placed? Therefore, he ordered Shamrih: "You should continue to advance towards the German command post according to the original plan. As for whether rockets can be used, I will wait until I ask the commander for instructions."
When Chuvashov said that he wanted to ask Sokov for instructions, Shamrich, as an old subordinate of Sokov, naturally would not disobey the order and quickly replied: "Understood, comrade colonel, I will continue to command the troops and fight against the enemy's attack." Attack the location of the headquarters and wait for your next order."
When Sokov received a call from Chuvashov, he couldn't help but sigh that the other party was making good progress. He originally thought that he would not be able to approach the German command headquarters until noon tomorrow at the earliest. Unexpectedly, Chuvashov's troops made such rapid progress, completing the combat goals he set for a long time more than 20 hours ahead of schedule.
"Comrade Colonel, good job. Your advance is very fast. I believe that after the battle to liberate Belgorod is over, your brigade will definitely receive the honorary title." Sokov asked: "Your red flag is ready. Yet?"
"Red flag?" Chuvashov was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Comrade Commander, didn't you order people to equip all combat units above the battalion level with red flags? Don't worry, we will put them up after occupying the municipal building. Put the red flag on top of the building immediately."
"Comrade Colonel, listen, it is a tradition of the Russian army to plant a red flag on the municipal building of an ancient city to indicate the occupation of the city." Seeing that Chuvashov did not understand what he meant, Sokov said Explained to him: "Since it is a tradition, we must pay attention to it. I think that after you occupy the building, you just put up an ordinary red flag, which does not make much sense. It is better to put up your brigade's military flag to show that you are the most important person." Take this city first.”
"Comrade Commander, is this appropriate?" Hearing what Sokov said, Chuvashov said hesitantly: "You know, if something goes wrong with the military flag, you will be punished."
Sokov knew very well what Chuvashov meant. Once a unit with a military flag loses its military flag, its superiors will cancel the organization without hesitation, and commanders at all levels will also be sent to military courts. Even if the military flag is not lost but is damaged, the top commander of the army will be punished. On a battlefield under heavy artillery fire, military flags placed on top of municipal buildings may be knocked down by enemy artillery fire. In this way, the troops occupying the building will not only receive no commendation, but will also be criticized or even punished for damaging the military flag.
